China’s marriage rate drop to record low, upswing of divorces

China’s marriage rate hit a record low in 2024, continuing a troubling trend despite the government’s efforts to encourage young people to marry and have children, CNN reported.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, only 6.1 million couples registered their marriages last year, a 20.5 per cent drop compared to 2023. This is the lowest number of marriages recorded since the ministry began tracking the data in 1986.

According to CNN, the decline in both marriages and births presents a serious challenge for China, as it faces the effects of a shrinking workforce and an aging population, which are putting pressure on its economy. The number of marriages in 2024 is less than half of the 13 million registered in 2013, the peak year for marriages in China.

Data released on Saturday also revealed a small increase in the number of divorces in China. In 2024, nearly 2.6 million couples filed for divorce, a rise of 28,000 compared to the previous year.

Since 2021, China has imposed a mandatory 30-day “cooling-off” period for couples filing for divorce, despite criticism that it could make it harder for women to leave broken or even abusive marriages, as per CNN.

Despite a slight rise in the birth rate last year, China’s population has been shrinking for three consecutive years. The working-age population, defined as those between 16 and 59, dropped by 6.83 million in 2024, contributing to the overall decline. Meanwhile, the number of people aged 60 and above continued to grow, now making up 22 per cent of the total population.

Chinese officials believe that the decline in marriages is directly linked to the country’s falling birth rates, where social norms and government regulations make it challenging for unmarried couples to have children.

To address these issues, the government has introduced a variety of measures, including financial incentives and awareness campaigns, to encourage young people to marry and have children.

Officials have also organised blind dating events, and mass weddings, and attempted to curtail the tradition of large “bride price” payments from the groom to his future wife’s family that put marriage out of reach for many poor men in rural areas.

Some local governments have even handed out cash incentives for young couples to get married.

Since 2022, China’s Family Planning Association has launched programs to create a “new-era marriage and childbearing culture,” enrolling dozens of cities to promote the “social value of childbearing” and encouraging young people to get married and give birth at an “appropriate age.”

But so far, these policies have failed to convince Chinese young adults who are grappling with high unemployment, the rising cost of living and the lack of robust social welfare support amid the economic slowdown.